228 



THEOUGH TUEKANA AND SUK 



ranges running north by south. Very charming was the 

 appearance of a broad valley of the nearest mountain range, 

 the Doenye Erok, running parallel with our camp, from which 

 issued the Kerio river, the fresh green foliage of the acacias 

 fringing its banks contrasting with the gleaming white sand of 

 the soil. On the south the ridge on which we were camped 

 assumed more of the plateau form, whilst on the north it was 

 deeply fissured, the metamorphic foundations being exposed 

 without any volcanic covering. Far away in the distance rose 

 mountains running in a south-south-westerly to a westerly 

 direction, and of much greater height than any in our im- 

 mediate neighbourhood. Unfortunately we were unable here 

 as elsewhere to turn our favourable position for cartographical 

 observations to account, the magnetic needle being too much 

 affected by the iron in the soil for its readings to be depended 

 on. If we held the compass near the ground the needle turned 

 right round. 



The next day's march brought us to the Kerio river. We 

 first gently descended the debris-strewn plateau, and then 

 climbed over its ridge to go abruptly down its further slope. It 

 was a most arduous march for us all. We ourselves had to 

 jump from one stone to another for hours, whilst our barefooted 

 men crept carefully between the rocks. We were all very glad 

 when we could walk straight on in the loose sand below, but 

 we had soon enough of this too, as we had to tramp for three 

 hours in the heat of the sun through a monotonous acacia 

 wood affording very little shade. At last, however, we came 

 to the more thickly wooded banks of the Kerio. Not a blade of 

 grass had we seen all the way, nor was there any large game. 

 We could have counted the birds on our fingers. 



The ' river,' in spite of the surprising density of the wood 

 on its banks, turned out to be nothing more than the all but 

 dried-up bed of a stream encumbered with white sand. There 



